SSC Tuatara Will Come Powered by a 1,350 Horse Twin-Turbo V8 Fresh Off the Dyno

It’s alive. It’s aliiiiivvvveeeee! Ahem. Sorry, I got a little carried away. Thousand-plus horse engines will do that to a guy. SSC, formerly known as Shelby SuperCars, has just finished dyno testing of their big-and-burly 423 cubic inch (yep, no wimpy liters here) twin-turbo V8 that will power their forthcoming hypercar the Tuatara. Good news! The Tuatara’s powerplant passed all marks with mechanical aplomb and even surpassed expectations.

SSC Tuatara Engine on the Final Day of Dyno Testing

Running 91 octane fuel, the V8 makes an astonishing and Bugatti-rump-kicking 1,350 horse and 1,280 pound-feet of torque. Take off all of the federally-mandated eco bits and the Tuatara’s V8 can easily produce in excess of 1,700 horse. After 1,700, there has to be a better word than horse. Perhaps 1,700 mega-stallions is more appropriate.

SSC founderand chief designer Jerod Shelby said:

“This is a proud moment for all that were part of the engineering team on this project. This amazingly versatile package has already shown that it can easily be driven on a daily basis in any climate or environment in the world and at the same time can roll out of the pit area onto a track like Nurburgring and easily handle any rigors that record will require. Versatile, efficient, docile, savage… Engineering success!”

With power figures like that and an estimated weight of about 2,700 pounds, we’re looking at a 0-60 of 2.5 seconds, a quarter-mile in the 9s and a top speed of 275 miles-per-hour. Not to mention that 2 pounds per horse (sorry, mega stallion) would be a new production car record. Bugatti and Hennessey should be afraid, very, very afraid. Of course, we’ll have to wait for that engine to actually be put into a car before we can have any concrete numbers. But, in the mean time, please enjoy this lovely gallery of SSC Tuatara photos and the press release below.

Press Release

With major assembly development entering the final phases for the Tuatara, the engine package completed its final testing and validation during a last full day of dyno testing last week where the newly developed SSC power plant was put through its paces in a grueling effort to find any weaknesses. At completion of all the durability and performance testing, the Tuatara power plant passed all project specifications with flying colors. This newly developed 423 cu.in. twin turbo V-8 engine will come standard in the Tuatara producing 1350 horsepower and a staggering 1280 lb-ft of torque running on standard United States “premium” 91 octane fuel and has also shown that it is easily capable of over 1700 HP for those owners that don’t want or need to be buffered by regulations. After three years of engineering, the final results are an amazingly docile package with incredible daily drivable characteristics that truly mask the savage beast within.

“This is a proud moment for all that were part of the engineering team on this project. This amazingly versatile package has already shown that it can easily be driven on a daily basis in any climate or environment in the world and at the same time can roll out of the pit area onto a track like Nurburgring and easily handle any rigors that record will require. Versatile, efficient, docile, savage… Engineering success!” says SSC founder and lead designer Jerod Shelby.

In anticipation of the Tuatara being put through paces by the media and customers, that most supercars won’t endure, SSC engineering even required this Tuatara engine to complete a durability test where the engine is run at a set RPM of 5500 and then a massive load is placed on the motor and held there for a full 5 minutes while all facets of the engine internally and externally were data logged. At the 5 minute point, the engine was dropped back to an idle for 30 seconds to let the exhaust valves cool, and then immediately ramped back up to 5500 RPM’s for another full 5 minutes of extreme load.

“Even if it were possible to climb a steep and constant hill at 275 mph, with the aerodynamic drag that would be associated with that speed, you would never see the kind of load we are testing our engines at. It was quite an experience to watch an engine be put through these kinds of extreme tests, explains Shelby. I’ve never personally seen exhaust headers glow orange/red for that long period of time. I was waiting for metal to start dripping on the floor. But not only did metal not turn to liquid during the grueling testing, the engine was torn down for internal inspection when all testing was completed, and every component still looked brand new. The Tuatara is going to be an exciting car that redefines the super car industry,” Shelby states with a smile.